Lauren Tropeano
Chief People Officer | CHRO
DoTable
Episode 21
AI is Reshaping HR: Embrace Human-AI Partnership with a Company Operating System
Current chapter: This episode features Previ, the only free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication
Built By PeopleDecember 16, 2025 · 25:52
Thesis
“HR leaders must embrace a strategic mandate to integrate AI as a human enabler, redesigning roles for human-AI partnership while leveraging core human skills and a formalized company operating system to foster resilient and authentic cultures.”
Show notes
In 2022, Lauren Tropeano was running HR operations when Russia invaded Ukraine — and her company had employees there. The next weeks involved evacuation planning, emergency response protocols, and decisions that had nothing to do with any HR textbook she'd ever read. She describes it as a turning point: the realization that the best thing HR had given her wasn't any particular framework, but the adaptability and human judgment to lead in situations nobody had prepared for.
Lauren Tropeano, CPO at DoTable, has built her career on exactly that kind of adaptability. She's a proponent of what she calls a "company operating system" — a formalized structure of values, leadership principles, and goal systems that gives culture something concrete to anchor to rather than just rhetoric on a wall. The argument is simple: culture is what people actually experience, not what's in your slide deck. If the operating system isn't coherent and lived, no amount of messaging will make it real.
Her take on AI is among the more thoughtful in this series: the shift isn't "less humans, more technology" — it's a redesign of roles to create human-AI partnership. That requires deliberate investment in the skills that AI genuinely can't replicate: empathy, connection, creative judgment. And it requires HR leaders to develop AI fluency not as a nice-to-have, but as a core professional competency for the next five years.
What you'll learn:
- What Lauren's Ukraine crisis experience taught her about leadership under uncertainty
- The "company operating system" — values, leadership principles, goal systems — and why culture needs structural anchors
- How to redesign roles for human-AI partnership rather than human replacement
- Why developing AI fluency is now a core HR leadership competency
- The mentorship-driven career moves that shaped her path to CPO
- What "authentic culture" actually requires — beyond communication, into lived experience
Built by People is presented by Previ — the free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication engagement.
What you'll take away
- 1Actively seek out unconventional projects early in your career to gain diverse skills and build a reputation for adaptability.
- 2Cultivate mentorship relationships and demonstrate humility in asking for guidance to accelerate professional growth.
- 3Implement a formalized 'company operating system' (values, leadership principles, goal system) as a foundational anchor for culture and performance.
- 4Prepare for AI by developing AI fluency, exploring its application in HR tools, and focusing on uniquely human skills like empathy and connection.
- 5Effective culture scaling requires authentic communication paired with a lived experience that resonates with employees, not just rhetoric.
What most organizations get wrong
- •While HR isn't typically 'life or death,' leaders must be prepared for 'first responder' humanitarian efforts in crisis situations, throwing out typical decision-making rationale to lead with heart.
- •The shift with AI in HR isn't about 'less humans and more technology,' but a distinct partnership between the two to unlock performance and efficiency, requiring a rethinking of role design.
In Lauren's words
“just put your hand up for things, even if it seems non-conventional, or even if it seems like something that you don't have any business being involved in, because you can learn, you can develop new skill sets”
Demonstrates proactive career development advice for early-career professionals.
“this was literally like a humanitarian effort in terms of making sure that people were safe and that their families were safe and that they had a sense of security and stability.”
Highlights the extreme, unexpected challenges HR can face in global crises.
“culture is not just what you tell people it is, but also how it is felt and how it is perceived in terms of the rhythm of a company, how work gets done, how people interact with each other. It's incredibly organic.”
Emphasizes the authentic and experiential nature of company culture beyond communication.
“there is a very strategic mandate that is being thrust upon us as HR leaders, as people leaders, to figure out how to invite AI into the people conversation.”
Defines the crucial and evolving strategic role of HR in the age of AI.
“it's not about less humans and more technology, it's actually about the very distinct partnership between the two and how that can unlock a lot of performance, a lot of capabilities, a lot of efficiency”
Clarifies the guest's optimistic and collaborative view on human-AI integration in the workforce.
“lean into your human skills, right? The ability to do that very, very empathetic coaching, the ability to, you know, look for those interpersonal signals”
Stresses the enduring importance of uniquely human soft skills for HR professionals in an AI-driven future.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Lack of clear pathways and diverse experience for early-career HR professionals leading to stagnation.
- •Difficulty in formalizing and scaling company culture as organizations grow rapidly.
- •Navigating unprecedented global crises requiring immediate, humanitarian-focused responses from HR.
- •Ensuring internal communications are effective, authentic, and resonate with employees during periods of change or uncertainty.
- •Employee fear and uncertainty about the impact of AI on their roles, requiring HR leaders to reframe AI as an enabler.
In this episode
This episode features Previ, the only free tool that helps HR teams boost internal communication
Built by People
Lauren Johnson talks about her career journey on Built by People podcast
Born by People: Lauren's Career Journey
You started in the recruiting world and then moved into the HR
Mentors in the HR world
HR leader recalls moment where everything was on the line during Ukraine crisis
Have You Had A Moment When Everything Was on the Line?
Communication was key to helping employees survive during the Ukraine crisis
Employees on the Ukraine Emergency Committee
When I was at DraftKings, we wanted to scale the culture
The Secret to Building a Strong Culture
What leadership move or HR initiative you've repeated in more than one company
WSJD Live: Company Values and Goals
Are there any tools, systems, softwares that you've used to track goals
How to Track Goals and OKRs
Looking ahead, what's the single biggest shift HR leaders need to prepare for
The Shift to AI in the Workforce
Space: How can HR professionals prepare for AI adoption
What Should HR Professionals Do to Prepare for the AI Era?
With your career, be willing to take some risks
A message about taking risks in your career
So, well, Lauren, thank you so much for joining us today
Lauren Flanery on Built by People
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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